SOQ: Epic Remembrances

[Talencia]

FOREWORD

This is a retelling of how Ceylona and Flame met. It takes place in the distant past, long before many of the present acquaintances happened. Both are young and wild and seeking life as it has been promised to them. These occurances will have a reasonable impact on what happens in the future, but does not change any current rps or those in the past that happen after this timeline. It simply will be a series of experiences not discussed previously with those known currently.  

[Talencia]

Ceylona was on her own, and she liked that just fine. Her red hooves had taken her over many rolling leagues, skirting herd territories and fleeing the occasonally over amorous pursuit of stallions, both lone and head of herds. She was only just barely past the age of filly, young and free. She had no desire to be lured into a docile life as a herd mare just yet. She wanted to live her own life for a time first.

Then came the delightful day when she slowed to a walk, dappled shadows welcoming coolness on her warm hide. She approached a rise in the land with a single great oak atop it. She picked her way carefully up the grassy slope that was scattered with large boulders. At the crest she rested beneath the spreading branches and gazed out over paradise.

Beside her bubbled a spring, pooling into a small pond just a length from the base of the tree. It filled up to the edge of the rocks that edged it along one side before flowing merrily over the rough edges to patter down a rocky drop where the hill had been cut away some long ago time by a greater force than this young mare's mind could fathom. The water pattered in pleasant tinkles down until it reached the earth below. There it made it's meandering way towards a very large, very green meadow, losing itself in the grass and rich earth somewere in the waving expanse. The forest rose behind her, the treetops soaring far higher than her current perch. Yes, this was a good place.

She tossed her head, her long mane swirling down her neck, then flared her nostrils, scenting the air intently. All it took was one horse, or one predator, making this their home, and it would be ruined for her. But the scents that she inhaled were that of green, growing things and small, furred creatures. There was a very large eagle, circling overhead, but he posed no threat to her. So her paradise was unsullied and welcomed her with a sudden gust of breeze, rippling her cascading mane and tail, lifting them and cooling her beneath their insulating weight. Although she would never trade her lovely hair for a shorter look, at times of warmth, like this sunny late spring day, the mass of hair did tend to darken her hide with sweat.

With a nicker she took the few steps to the shallow pool and carefully stepped in. It got no deeper than just above her fetlocks, but it felt blissfully cool as it flowed by. She bent her head and drank deeply of her pool, for she was already beginning to think of this place as hers. Only hers, for as long as she could defend it. Now that she had claimed it, she didn't intend on letting anyone take it from her. She was no pushover. Raising her dripping muzzle, she looked out over her domain again. Her stocky body heaved her out of the pool again and powerful muscles rippled as she galloped down the side of the hill, aiming for the sunny meadow and her evening graze. It was hers, and life was as it should be for a strong young mare like herself. Ceylona was content.  

[Celeanor]

Say unto me, as I say unto you...

Follow down the path you would deem as true.

Never fear the binding shadows;

Never mind the twisting light.

For all we have to offer,

We have given it all to you.

Lilting melodies, cast in an array of blinding lights of day/night and the eternal playboard of destiny... They lay spread out below him, effervescent in their timeless dance between life, death, and all the worlds between. How he wanted to join those dancers, the lights, the shadows, but instead he was the Void.

Cursed to watch in the tender agony of loneliness, he surrounded them, almost touched them... but still they spun away. Somehow he could join them, he knew he could... if he could only reach a little farther...


Jolted out of his nightmare, Flame jumped to his feet before his mind fully grasped that he was no longer dreaming, and weaved around unsteadily for a moment before he finally clawed his way back from the throes of sleep. Nearby, a small fox yipped uneasily at him and darted into the underbrush; her red pelt vanishing curiously amid the green foliage almost instantly.

Fixated on the first physical image he saw, the young stallion of fire took one unsteady step towards the gently wavering brush, sniffing lightly for a scent of the young female. But then his normal thoughts hit him all at once and he straightened with a pained expression crossing his equine features.

Spirits have mercy, this will be a headache I will remember for many seasons to come. He thought with another grimace, choosing to ignore yet another fox when the small creature darted past him towards the stream.

After a few moments, the pain in his temples subsided enough so the stallion could get his bearings, and with a long sigh he turned to the north, following the meandering stream as it parted rolling hills and the thinning woodlands.

 

[Talencia]

Ceylona grazed along the bank of the stream on the inside of a loop it made in her meadow. Her meadow... it sounded so nice. It allowed her to put aside the thoughts of where she had come from, what had come before. She shuddered her hide to turn aside the memories, as if they were flies pestering her. Closing her mind on that darkness, she let herself be lost in the moment of quiet, the gentle fall of her hooves upon the fertile ground, and the steady rhythm of ripping as she pulled up her breakfast.

The hawk, riding risnig thermals high above, gave a screech and dove out of the updraft, heading across the wide meadow to the far distant forest edge. The cinnamon mare stopped and raised her head, ears perked. She had become friends with the hawk, or at least partners. They both had a territory to defend, and the bird of prey had already warned her of several wanderers encroaching upon her chosen home. Mare or no, the sturdily built soquili defended her home fiercely, and had a few marks to prove it. Over time they would fade entirely, but for now they stood out against her red hide.

She swished her tail as she listened alertly, nostrils flared into the wind. A sudden tug on her tail didn't even startle her. She'd gotten used to the odd little creature with a bushy tail. It was red like her, and seemed to enjoy her company. It chittered at her as it scampered across her back and up her neck. It had ceased to irritate her that the little vermin treated her like just another tree. Now it parted her forelock and flattened itself on the top of her head, between her ears. She gave a tolerant snort and continued to watch the horizon. Something was up. Even the crazy rodent sensed it. Had someone come to challenge her again?  

[Celeanor]

The wind was blowing the wrong way.

Acutely aware that he was entering unfamiliar, and likely occupied territory, Flame gathered his scattered wits about him and forced the remnants of the nightmare headache to the back of his mind. The stream was flowing downhill, and was crystal clear... small boulders also began to dot the landscape, bespeaking a changing terrain beneath.

Eyeing the stream again, he was taken with sudden thirst and pressed closer, clear into the view of a lone tree topped hill. But that fact evaded him for the moment as he tasted the stream's rich mineral flavored water, and he remained in place for a more then casual sip. Oddly the water cooled his raging mind, and allowed him to think clearly...

Looking up he searched the horizon, suddenly bewildered that he couldn't remember which way he had come from...

 

[Talencia]

The wind shifted slightly and brought to her the distinct scent of stud. She pinned her ears and snorted fiercely, tossing her head. This sent her bushy-tailed passenger scurrying back down her neck frantically. Ignoring the chattering squirrel, she focused on the intruder. So another had come. Would he try to woo her or merely assume he could take her territory?

She squared her shoulders and set off at a brisk trot. Her ears were canted aggressively forward, and her head was held high. Her long, thick legs struck out rhythmically. Everything about her spoke of her strength and her determination. She would not be seduced nor run off her chosen home. Not now and not ever. If she ever left, it would be of her own choice, when it was time to move on. She gave a defiant neigh and moved within sight of the interloper.

He was an impressive red-orange, tall and strong, his mane rippling toward her in the breeze. His good-looks were counteracted by the look of total bafflement on his face, though. She fought down a sudden urge to laugh at the odd contrast, and instead gave another ringing neigh, announcing herself and that she was queen of this patch of land. She moved forward further, closer to him, but stopped well out of his reach. There she stopped, head held high, her long sweeping mane blowing across her eyes and back along her shoulders. She wasn't challenging him to a fight just yet, but that possibility lingered beneath the surface, like a snake waiting for reason to strike. Satisfied she had made a good first impression, she waited for his response.  

[Celeanor]

As bewildered as he was, it took the stallion of fire a moment to fully focus on the approaching figure. Vaguely his foggy mind registered aggression, and he figured the mare to be the alpha of this area. But that was as far as he got, and just as she came to a halt a few paces from him, he felt his knees buckle, leaving him sprawled unceremoniously at her feet.

The water, it had to be, the strange twang and unusual ability to soothe his pounding head.

"Unusual minerals..." he started to say, before he stopped when he realized his words were slurring. "Shilly Shally..."

 

[Talencia]

Ceylona stared in stunned shock as the stallion before her promptly folded nearly in half and landed on the ground, muttering to himself muzzily. She didn't even blink. She simply stared at him for a time, taking in his condition. Then it dawned on her.

"I certainly hope you didn't intentionally eat those weeds over there. She nodded her head back from the direction she knew now he must have come. "Because if you did so purposely, you deserve the headache you are going to have tomorrow morning." She eyed him critically, examining him closely. She'd stepped nearer to him to do so, as the light faded from the sky. Evening was closing fast, and her concience pricked her. He didn't appear to be one of those dark soquili who muddled their own thoughts with the nasty stuff. He appeared quite healthy and strong in fact. Which would count in his favor in the morning as well, since it meant the drug would wear off faster.

"Well, we can't leave you here all alone in that condition. Up you go." She shoved against his shoulder with her knees, urging him to rise. She would let him lean on her for support if necessary, but she really needed to get him up on the hill, beneath the look-out tree. From there they could see any danger approach, and their scent was less likely to travel to the local predators. They would notice astonishingly fast that there was new prey in the area, so she would have to watch over him tonight. "C'mon big fella, get up."  

[Celeanor]

He had only a vague notion of what had happened the other day. Somehow he had managed to make his way to his feet and follow the auburn mare to a high point in her territory. (And there was no doubt, even in his dreamlike state, that this was her territory.)

From there, he had no recollection of the night, or even of the morning. Even his dreams evaded his conscience mind... though that could very well be a blessing in disguise. Even now, as he opened his golden eyes, he was aware that his thoughts were not quite his own. Whatever that potent mix had been, it had effectively knocked him head over tail.

Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes in the dappled sunlight under the tree, Flame looked around cautiously for his mysterious benefactor. He had to thank her, for all intents and purposes.. she should have just left him where he had fallen.

 

[Talencia]

Ceylona had stood over the slumbering stallion the entire night. She had dozed from time to time, but had kept a careful vigil. Morning had found her feeling a bit bleary, but nonetheworse for her watchful night. She had taken a moment to marvel as the rising sun caught it's light on all the glistening droplets of dew that clung to every leaf within sight. The trees were given halos, and the grass became a field of diamonds.

It was a whimsical thought for the practical mare, but she was learning to appreciate small beauties like that, particularly when it was all her own. She drew in a deep breath of the free air, HER air! Yes, life was good. Odd stallion or not, she amended, glancing at the still snoring orange mound. An amused smile touched her lips as she turned away.

She wasn't aware he had awakened when he finally opened his eyes. She had drifted down the gentle rise which her tree stood upon, and was now grazing quietly near the edge of the forest. The steady rip-chomp was accompanied by the occasional step forward of one hoof or another, and the rhythmic swish of her tail, as if she had a song in her head. Truthfully, she was thinking about her small bit of territory and was imagining the route she would use to circle it later on, after her guest had awkoen and moved off. It didn't even occur to her that he might stay.  

[Talencia]

The red stallion had moved on sooner than she had expected. By the time she returned to her home rise, he was gone. The wind told her he hadn't been gone long, but she had no desire whatsoever to follow after such a silly stallion. Ruefully she shook her head. She did not wish him ill, but if he kept up his unsusual ways, he'd come to grief someday. More serious grief, anyway, than collapsing in her territory.

And so life moved on as she had imagined it would, unaware that in the future, many evenets would greatly change who she percieved herself as, and where her life was going. But that was so distant in the future, it wasn't even a glimmer in the light of Fate's eyes. For now, she stood atop the hill and gazed proudly over her lands, and was happy.